So this is where you say hello right ?

[Mutilated1]

Hi All,

Nice forum you have here. I'm new to home brewing, and I just started my first batch a couple days ago. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of wisdom or experience in beer making to share, but I do have plenty of questions.

I'm a little worried about homebrewing even though everyone tells me its easy, I like light beer from the store and I don't like just about every craft beer I've ever tried which worries me because usually what I like is what the beer snobs sneer at and what is supposed to represent the best beers I usually don't like at all.

I'm not interested in making really exotic beers with strange flavors, mostly I hope to make something similar to Busch, Budweiser, or Miller and maybe a Rolling Rock or Heineken.

I live in Pell City Alabama, and I got my first brew kit from Ala-Brew out near Centerpoint, and I bought another kit and good supply of ingredients from makebeer.net

Well thats enough about me. "Hello".

 

[bradsul]

Welcome to HBT!

And don't worry about beer snobs! You will find lots of help for making any kind of beer here! So ask your questions but also check out the wiki (there's a link at the top) and definitely www.howtobrew.com if you haven't already!

There are many great commercial beer clone recipes out there. If you don't mind purchasing online check out www.austinhomebrew.com, they have tons!

Welcome to the great world of brewing, soon you'll be as obsessed as the rest of us.

 

[fifelee]

I'm not interested in making really exotic beers with strange flavors, mostly I hope to make something similar to Busch, Budweiser, or Miller and maybe a Rolling Rock or Heineken.

Those are some of the hardest beers to make. Start out with some nice pale ales or blond ales.
Don't be afraid to try a few more "exotic" beers. I was in your same shoes a few yeas ago and only liked light lagers. After a few samples at a brew pub, I decided to branch out. In my beer adventures I have come across beers that I didn't really like, but I have found many more that are now my favorites. I am actually hooked on lambics (sour beer). One tidbit that I learned along the way is to alway drink out of a glass. When I first started off drinking from the bottle, a lot of craft beers tasted a bit harsh. It turned out to be an over carbonation bite that dissipated when pouring, plus you get the wonderful aromas that are trapped in a bottle.
Welcome and happy brewing.

 

[david_42]

BMC are lagers, which are more difficult and time-consuming to make than ales. So start out with American Light ales using neutral dry yeasts. Be suspicious of any recipe that uses more than an ounce of hops, maybe try a wheat (not hefeweizen) ale, or Goldens or Milds. You don't have to be a hop head or chronically boost the ABV of everything to be making good beer.

It is a slippery slope, though.

[Would you believe my spell checker suggested Budweiser for hefeweizen?]

 

[Money Pit Home Brew]

Glad to see a fellow Alabamer here on the boards. I started brewing in Feb. this year and now I can't stop. The folks at Alabrew are great. I've brewed 10 or so of their kits and haven't been disappointed yet. Kim has some really good recipes and there are a few that come close to the style you like. I've made their Lighthouse, which is very "BMC-like". They also have a couple beers that are very similar to popular Mexican beers.
I would recommend a little branching out though. You might be surprised. They have a Hammer and Nail clone, which I think is an American Brown Ale in style. It has been my favorite so far. It's a little on the dark side, but the flavors are very mild and balance out really nice.
Also, his Cahaba River Wheat beer is great on a hot day.
So far, all my BMC drinking friends have really liked the Hammer and Nail and the Cahaba River Wheat.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Welcome...don't I drive through/near Pell City on my way from Oxford/Anniston to B'ham when I go to the Fox and Hound?

 

[mrk305]

Hi new guy,
I am a newbie myself. I have made 5 gallons @ week for the last 4 months and have not made a bad batch yet. These guys can anwer a lot of questions for you. I hope you have a good Home Brew Supply store nearby. They get very helpfull after they see your face a few times and realize you are hooked at home brewing.

 

[ameadrat]

hi,
The first beer that led me astray was Heinikens. I astill love it in the summer with a lime. When I was drinking commercial beers, there were only 6 or 8 brewry's in the country. Yes that's pre 1970. Most of what you like are lagers. They reguire cold fermenting(under 55 degrees). as others have said more diifcult.
TRy some SAm adams, bass, New castle. If you don't like any of those, then you are going to have to try lagering. In that case a good home brew store is a must.
I'm new to this site but so far as a brew rat I'm impressed with the attitudes and the recipes. Ask for help, you might get an attitude but those of us who brew do it because we love it.